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Ofgem has confirmed that the energy price cap will rise for households from October, to £3549 per year.
As UKGBC’s Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Louise Hutchins said, the latest rise “will plunge millions of households into a fuel poverty crisis this winter”.
Here are a few of the responses to the price cap news:
UKGBC
“Clearly, emergency Government action to prevent this can’t wait any longer. But global gas prices could stay high for years to come. So, this needs to go hand in hand with a long-term plan.
“With ever more expensive heat leaking out of every poorly insulated wall, roof, window and door across the country, a national roll out of home upgrades has never been more urgent. Reducing energy use across households will bring bills down – not just for one winter, but year on year. The cheapest energy is the energy we don’t use. “
Full response: ukgbc.org/news/energy-price-hike-time-for-an-emergency-support-and-long-term-fix/
National Energy Action
Adam Scorer, National Energy Action (NEA) chief executive, said:
“The scale of harm caused by these price rises needs to sink in. A warm home this winter will be pipedream for millions as they are priced-out of a decent and healthy quality of life.
“Without bold action to support the most vulnerable and those on the lowest incomes, this will effectively prise their fingers from the cliff edge and push them over the precipice.
“The government needs to immediately upgrade the household support package it first announced back in May. Households need money in their pockets to weather this storm or we are going to see millions in dangerously cold homes, suffering in misery with unimaginable debt and ill health.”
Citizens Advice
Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said:
“Every day our advisers help people in desperate situations: people who can’t get to the end of the month without a food bank voucher, parents unable to afford nappies and patients with no credit to call their GP.
‘‘Without more support, the soundtrack to winter will be the beeping of emergency prepayment meter credit running out and the click of lights and appliances being turned off.
“We need a plan not platitudes. Government support has to match the scale of this crisis, there must be a financial lifeline for those who need it most.”
Insulation Assurance Authority
CEO Nigel Donohue said:
“We cannot continue to allow energy efficiency to be used for political mileage and we need to have cross party policy which provides sustainability into the energy efficiency sector and offers sensible interventions which help homeowners/occupiers reduce their energy costs and helps address our current energy security challenges.
“There are some political challenges and the new leader will have to address the very near challenge around the short term affordability of energy bills with suggestions that this will need a £100 billion investment in the next two years, however if we don’t look at longer term measures which reduce energy usage then arguably the Government purse, and by default our tax payers money, will continue to be used for short term cost of living interventions without any longer term benefit.”
